


Something Missing

by marshv



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Declarations Of Love, F/M, Five Years Later, Mutual Pining, Reunions, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9837677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshv/pseuds/marshv
Summary: To her it felt like a lifetime. To him it was the blink of an eye. But for both of them it had been far too long.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this for two months and it ended up way longer than it needed to be. Emotional stuff isn't my strong suit so I hope this is ok. I just wanted to write how they confessed to each other.

As she hopped off her canoe and onto the shore, Moana turned halfway around and smiled at the horizon.

“I won't be long,” she whispered to the ocean, watching the waves ripple back in response. When the water quieted and she'd secured her boat, she continued toward the thick line of trees that bordered the beach.

The thrill of discovery—that rapid heartbeat and tingle in her veins—never fully went away, no matter how many untouched islands she stumbled upon.

Lips pulled into a smile, oar in hand, she raced ahead into the trees, vaulting over rocks and getting an eyeful of everything she came across. Salty air tickled her skin and filled her nose. She took a deep breath and relished in the tiny differences between the smell of it and the smell of the air on Motunui. Her fingers trailed along coconut trunks, the texture bringing back memories of her encounter with Te Ka and subsequently, of Maui.

Since the return to wayfinding she hadn't seen a trace of him anywhere. But on Motunui’s maiden voyage he’d flown with them. The children pointed in awe at the giant hawk that soared over the ocean above their canoes. He didn't stick around to meet anyone when they got to land, just said a final goodbye to her—only her— and mentioned how nice she looked in her orange lei po’o. She thanked him embarrassed, brushing it off, then watched him disappear as he took to the sky. For some reason, she had it in her head that he'd be back soon.

That was five years ago.

When the lei had started to brown, she strung together another one exactly like it. She lost count of how many new ones she’d made.

Being chieftain meant she was almost always busy, but occasionally she had a few moments of freedom that would pop up. During those moments, her thoughts tended to drift to Maui. Remembering their time together, she would worry about him as much as a mortal could worry about a demi-god, and hope he was happy whatever he was doing.

It was difficult to picture him unhappy, even if she'd seen him sad before. He was still this barely touchable embodiment of strength, a symbol of cunning and power all wrapped up in a vessel of rippling muscles. For so long he'd given humans whatever they wanted. She just hoped he wasn't caught up in doing that again, not when he'd seemed so much more sure of himself and his own worth when he left.

She uttered a hello to a family of birds and sighed, the biggest one catching her eye. It was silly, being a mortal and craving the familiarity of him as much as she did. Gradually, she learned to accept that she was not ordinary. But she was still no goddess. And letting her mind wander to him like it did was only going to disappoint her in the long run.

Just a day’s journey away, Motunui was waiting for her to return, her people ready to knock her over with questions and curiosity. She'd been allowing herself to stay gone longer and longer, taking in the seclusion with great appreciation, assuring herself they were fine and that no, they didn't need her every time she turned around. It was difficult in the beginning. Letting go and allowing herself the tranquility of solitude was not something that came easy for her anymore. But when she got the hang of it, she uncovered a floodgate of feelings she'd been ignoring for a long time.

Without warning, she heard a loud, solid thud as something hit the ground. It forced her out of her musing and she let out an undignified screech. She scrabbled for a better grip on her oar before whipping around to face the noise’s source. Caught in her periphery was the end of a brilliant blue flash. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

There was a bird missing from the little family she'd been watching, the largest one. She had only turned away for a second. But there, now brushing off his legs as he righted himself, standing underneath the tree just meters away, was the giant mountain of a man who had stolen so much of her attention and taken over her thoughts.

A hazy sensation fogged up her head. Moana peered at him, squinting, and lowered her oar. She took care to be as silent as possible. It was all too sudden and she had a suspicious inkling she was dreaming. Her mind must have been playing an awful trick on her as punishment for seeking time away from home so often. She made a note to never leave again. Breathing shallow, she waited, shaking limbs cementing her to the ground.

Then, after a lifetime, he looked up at her. His face was one of surprise, but split into a grin a second later. His eyes sparkled, crinkling from the force of his smile as he opened his arms out to her.

“Hey, princess! How’ve ya been?”

On the final syllable, she dropped her oar and it hit the sand with a dull thump. She gasped. A huge weight came off her shoulders and she remembered how to move again. Before Maui had a chance to react—and before she realized what she was doing—Moana had bolted forward to close the distance between them. Once she was close enough she hopped up on her tiptoes to embrace him around the neck. Strong arms slid over her back and she shivered into gentle hands. It never ceased to surprise her how slow and deliberate he was despite his intimidating size. She took advantage of her position and buried her face in his neck, trying to keep herself together.

“So I take it you missed me?” she heard him chuckle, but his voice lacked its characteristic cockiness. Instead it was disbelieving, like he couldn't understand why she would care. Nervous.

Strands of his hair tickled when she nodded an affirmative. Her arms tightened in an effort to lose herself in his presence.

When she didn't say anything, just clung to him, he pulled her in, lifting her off her feet and squeezed her against his body. Chest to chest. The sensation of him surrounded her. She forgot just how tiny she was next to him. The feel of his skin against hers ignited fires that spread over the expanse of her arms and back, making her shudder. It was an experience, having him overwhelm her all at once after being deprived for so long.

“I missed you too,” he confessed, and she could feel him on her ear.

There was an unmistakable smile as he muttered the words. She felt it as he curled around her with his face in her hair. Feeling the bliss of it all, she let her eyes fall shut. More than anything she wanted to bask in him, to stretch the moment until she’d had enough. She needed to know every single inch of him just in case he left again, to commit the hills and valleys of his body to the most intimate parts of her memory.

But there were questions that kept gnawing at her. The tiny part of her brain that was begging her to ask was miraculously winning over the larger, more powerful sensations pounding at her chest and stomach that screamed at her to shut up and give in to the desire washing over her.

With great reluctance, her eyes opened.

“Where were you?” she whispered, staying close to him. It sounded more accusatory than she intended, but given that they'd both risked their lives for each other at one point, she figured he owed her an explanation.

When her arms loosened just barely, she felt his muscles flex, keeping her close. A fluttery breath fell from her mouth. Any kind of determination she felt at getting an answer out of him crumbled quickly, at least for the moment.

“Demi-god stuff,” he smirked. “You know how it is.”

Moana whined at the vagueness of the response, as well as at the tight, pleasing grip he had on her.

“I don't actually,” her voice was an octave too high and she cleared her throat. “Maybe you should tell me? After all I was sorta terrified I’d never see you again.”

Suddenly, Maui shifted, and broke the loop her arms formed around his neck.

“Seriously?” he set her down. Moana noticed how he was slow to take his hands off her waist. A small panic hit her when he let go, but she hid it well, resisting the urge to clamor towards him again.

No longer nudged together, she was finally able to get a look at his face. She didn't know why she expected him to look different. He was immortal. Everything about him was the same, handsome visage of a man she met five years ago. The only thing different was the face he was giving her.

“Wow you've grown…” he muttered, expression softening into a look of amazement as he eyed her up.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head. “You really thought I was gone forever?” his arms crossed and he scoffed.

“Well it's not like you ever came to visit.” she squared her shoulders, pouting.

Choosing to ignore whatever he'd said before, Moana huffed instead. Of course he couldn't just apologize!

Tension thickened between them and Maui rolled his eyes. Moana fixed him with a weak glare, hurt, but not about to lose the argument, regardless of how silly he thought she sounded.

“Five years without you is a long time,” she reminded, since it seemed to slip his mind. “I won't be here forever.”

“Don't say that.”

There was a sense of fear in his tone.

She frowned, clenching her fists with some frustration. “But you know it's true! I don't expect you to be around all the time, but...”

It was a small relief when he didn't interrupt her pause. Moana felt her cheeks turn red. When she sighed, readying herself for the defense, she looked down and away.

“It's not the same without you.”

It hurt. It hurt to admit it out loud with the threat of rejection becoming more and more real. They'd experienced so much together, opened up to one another during their long days on her canoe. But she still doubted whether or not Maui really had any idea how much he meant to her.

A thumb rubbed over her cheek then. It was so slow, so tender, that Moana hardly registered it. But when she realized he was touching her, she closed her eyes. Pressing into his palm, she hummed. She should have pushed him away, been angrier, especially with that eye-roll he gave earlier, but she remained in disbelief that he was even back at all.

After she accepted his hand, she felt his other arm smooth along her back and rest against her. It guided her in, holding her close as her head bumped into his chest. She melted into him, the heat of his body turning her knees to mud. His movements weren't nearly as gentle or controlled as they were before but rather, there was a clumsiness to him—a desperation in the way his fingers clutched at her.

Maybe it was just the kind of person she was– awful at staying mad, wanting to assume the best in everyone– or perhaps it was her feelings talking, but it seemed like he was silently begging for her forgiveness. Sorrow showed in each hesitant touch he placed on her body, obvious and undeniable in their pleading

The hand on her cheek had moved. Fingers draped a loose ring of curls back behind her ear. It was such a sweet thing to do, and so unexpected, that Moana’s breath caught in her throat. It prompted tremors in the back of her neck and she nuzzled into his chest, humming again, with her fingers coming up to caress tiny trails around his collarbone.

His head was down, face in her hair, while his own created a curtain around her.

“I'm sorry,” he choked. “I don't know why I was gone so long.”

Coughing, he paused to think. The hand that had tucked her hair back was now stroking down her spine and she shivered at the intimate touch.

“Knowing you won't always be around gets to me. I guess I can't handle it. So I Ieft. I knew if I got too close to you, it would hurt more.”

The words were quiet, slightly muffled and entirely honest. They tumbled past his lips in a messy, endearing jumble.

For a second she simply gaped. His apology slowly warmed her face and chest, melting away the last of her anger and leaving her wide open. Feeling her heart swell, Moana had no other choice but to stand on her toes and snake her arms around his neck again.

Maui was caught off guard and stood up straight, causing her to dangle off the ground. She didn't mind the awkward position though. It delighted her instead, reminded her of the mesmerizing strength he had, and let her marvel at the feel of his muscles as he moved.

A second later, she heard Maui give a nervous chuckle, voice timid as he held her up, assisting in keeping her off her feet.

“Is this a goodbye hug or a ‘I forgive you’ hug?”

“It's a ‘don't leave me again’ hug.” she stated flatly.

He snorted.

“Wouldn't dream of it. You're stuck with me now, curly.”

“Don't roll your eyes when I'm mad at you either.”

“You got it.”

Once he released her arms, Moana’s feet were on the ground once more. Silence kept them company for a few lengthy seconds until Maui gawked at her.

“Hey! You still have the lei!” he beamed at the leaves on top of her head.

Moana nodded pointedly, straightening the lei in question. “Of course I do! I mean, it's a new one. I make a new one every time the colors fade.”

“Always the orange...” he mumbled. It wasn’t phrased like a question, but lines settled around Maui’s eyes as he squinted.

“Well,” she wrung her hands together, blurting out: “You said you liked I how I look in orange.”

The memory made her cheeks flame. She felt like an awkward teenager all over again. To buy some time she rocked onto the balls of her feet, then back down again, repeating the action as she scrounged up the courage to say what she needed to.

“So…?” he prompted with a slow roll of his hand to get her going again. The lines on his face were gone, and replaced with anticipation as he watched her.

“Soooo,” she drew out the syllable. “It just… made me feel good. When you said it. I thought about it for days and now I always wear orange.”

He blinked, not totally getting it, but very aware there was more to what she was saying. It wasn't like he would make fun of her, she knew that. For all Maui’s joking, she was confident he would be sympathetic no matter what his reaction.

She hadn't seen him in five years and the warm, bubbling feelings she got from him had started a bit sooner than that. With all the time she spent mulling it over and just wondering, stuck in a back and forth of what-ifs with herself, she inevitably weighed the pros and cons of telling him the truth or not. It ended with her coming to a fairly obvious answer that she hated to admit: if she didn't say something, she knew she would spend the rest of her life wondering, and she was done wondering.

“You said I looked pretty,” she prompted, twirling her fingers around a length of hair.

It was difficult meeting his gaze, but she managed. She held his stare. Maui was waiting as patiently as he could, which it turns out, was quite a lot. Even with her internal pep talk she was still reeling, more horrified than she'd ever been. Terrified of the last person she should be terrified of.

She had to get this out. It was now or never.

“It made me realize how I really feel about you.”

It took several long seconds, but the expression on his face finally changed. Watching the realization inching its way into his eyes was a jarring sort of finality. She was at the moment of truth. Her stare was strong, she didn't falter, and the encouragement she exuded belied the anxious thundering in her chest.

The corner of Maui’s lip quirked, and he couldn't stop the grin from consuming his face. He was trying to avoid scaring her off with the extent of his joy, the intensity of his smile falling and rising. He eventually gave up and was chuckling in disbelief.

“Yeah? I might have—uh—realized how I feel about you, too.”

He tripped on his words mid sentence. But by the end looked like he ready to start cheering.

Moana surged with a new confidence.

“How's that?” she asked. A coy smirk flashed across her face, teasing him.

“Well you know. Same way as you do. I think. I hope.” he murmured something, cheeks blazing red. His grin was calmer now, more intimate, and made him look more nervous than she'd ever seen him.

Heart ready to burst and emboldened from the giddiness, Moana reached up and dragged Maui down close to her, their foreheads bumping together. They both smiled, eyes shutting, and took a deep breath when they felt the other's nose against their own.

They stood like that for a minute. Their eyes opened again at the same time but neither made any move to pull away. She could have been stuck there for days, feet planted in the ground, and she wouldn't have minded.

When Maui broke the silence, Moana found that her voice was lost in his confession.

“I love you, Moana.”

He said it so surely, without hesitation, and never broke away from her eyes. Moana spluttered for a few moments as she fought to speak. All she was able to give him were a few meaningless warbles and some high pitched half-words. Her mind was racing around with a thousand happy thoughts at once but eventually, she procured a response.

“I love you too, Maui!” She was laughing and grinning. She gushed, amazed she wasn't crying, and clung to him, giving gentle strokes to his cheeks.

It sent an intense tingle up the length of her spine, at last being able to say it. It swallowed her awareness, everything disappearing except for the two of them where they stood. The words were natural. It felt simple despite the complex spin her brain had been trying to attach to it.

Moana drifted back down to lean into his chest, Maui’s arms held her torso once she was settled, shielding her from the elements and any gods who might have been watching them.

“Think your village’ll be ok with their chief loving a demi-god?” the tone was joking, and she could almost see his cocky expression despite her face being lost in a wall of chest muscle again.

Still, she remembered way back when they met, the way he argued with her before he finally gave in. The way he shared just enough about his past to make her feel the same sting he lived with everyday. How he ached for approval, how his parents rejection left a scar that would never go away. He spent every ounce of his strength trying to make humans love him. He was utterly alone, without any meaningful relationships for who knows how long.

She felt a need to protect him, to reassure him he would never be alone again.

“Of course they will. They're going to love you so much.”

She squeezed him and felt him go silent while he tried to process the thought.

After she heard him sigh, relaxing, she pulled away to study him. He was looking at her with trepidation, eyes flickering to her lips, and she was positive they were thinking the same thing.

The tips of her fingers pulsed with want. Her lips prickled, opening slightly when she licked them. She swallowed, focused on his mouth. It was parted and she could see the gap between his front teeth. Her heart was hammering, rising into her throat and choking her until she whined, desperate.

“Maui.”

Her voice was a strangled whimper. Even though she knew it wasn't a dream, the feeling was surreal. What she'd waited for for so long was finally right in front of her. There wasn't any logic in second guessing herself. They'd already made their confessions, and there was no possibility of rejection lingering over her and scaring her away.

Maui took her utterance as the go ahead. It was an answer to a question he hadn't asked, but one Moana knew he was pondering all the same. They both wanted this.

No time to feel nervous, no chance for either of them to back out, Maui closed the last bit of space between them, his lips parting as he pressed them into hers.

The second their mouths collided, an entire sky of stars exploded. Maui moved against her in waves, massaging her lips with his own. His mouth was thick, but not as soft as hers, thousands of years worth of salt and sand roughening them into a stimulating surface.

He licked the seam of her mouth to ease her lips open. Short puffs of his breath tickled her tongue when she let him slip inside, allowing him to taste her, running along her gums and sucking her lip. It felt like she was floating. Every touch drew a moan from her, stealing her breath away and pulling her in, commanding her senses. She clutched at him, hands clinging on to hold herself steady while she revelled in his touches.

She had kissed before, but nothing like this.

Warmth pooled in the pit of her stomach like a fire crackling to life, melting away inhibitions and stirring her instincts. The slick sound of their mouths was the only thing she could hear. They slid against one another, fitting together perfectly, designed for each other. He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped the tender skin.

Her pulse was throbbing, pounding through her veins. It kept a rhythm with her movements, getting faster when she started gasping when she broke for air. Desperately needing to breathe, she whined into his mouth before pulling back, panting. The quiet exhale he made as they broke apart was like a hiss, too harsh for the glow she was feeling. She touched her fingers to his face in apology.

They both stared at each other with eyes half open. Labored breathing had replaced the deafening sounds of their kiss. Her head was swimming, sucking her up until she was dizzy and disoriented, but in a way she wouldn't trade for the world.

Maui had said something. Or at least, she saw his lips move in a pattern that was definitely speech. Though she hadn't caught any of it with blood still pounding in her ears.

“What‘s wrong?” Maui repeated, breathing heavily and trying to regain focus and the same time.

Her pulse slowed and she let a lazy smile come over her as she shook her head. Even with the glazed over look in his eye, Moana could notice the lingering of anxiety hiding in his voice. She continued stroking his cheeks, fingers tracing over the softness of his jaw.

“I had to breathe,” she stated, tone making it clear he had nothing to worry about.

When Maui laughed she watched the fear drain from his face.

“Mortals,” he scoffed. “Always needing to breathe.”

Moana just sighed, aware of the blush on her face, her lazy smile her only response.

After hours of simply sitting together, staring at the ocean, enjoying the other’s company, they both watched the sun as it began to fall over the horizon. It lit them both in a orange glow and Moana let sneaky hands tangle through the vast cascade of curls falling down Maui’s back. The brown undertones were something she never noticed before.

In the light of the rising moon she realized how truly human he looked at the moment. He didn't look all-powerful or even intimidating. The gentle curves created by his body made him look downright ordinary. It made her remember the prospect of going home, of finally being able to introduce the person who had helped her save the world.

If there was anything that scared her, it was the thought of her people hating him—the possibility that she was wrong. But as she caught his eye for the millionth time that day, the both of them smiling, she knew she had nothing to worry about.

She knew they would be ok.

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, a _lei po'o_ is just a lei that's worn on the head. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. I'm reeaaally not confident with this piece at all lol.


End file.
